Foot measuring device



Aug. 2, 1949.

J. MlRTl FOOT MEASURING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1JOSEPH M//er/ Aug. 2, 1949. J. MlRTi 2,477,817

v FOOT MEASURING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1944 v 2 sheets-sheet 2 i I N VEN 'l 0R. JOSEPH /V//e/ Patented Aug. 2, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICEThis invention relates to foot measuring devices and aims to provide animproved device of this kind by which the contour of the bottom of thehuman foot can be readily measured and by which a corrective contour canbe established or determined for use in constructing an arch support,insole, corrective pador the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device o-fthis character having a foot rest whose foot-engaging portion is formed,at least in part, by a resilient body adapted to be deformed forestablishing and measuring a corrective contour for the foot.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of thecharacter mentioned, in which the foot rest includes one or moresections movable in a direction longitudinally of the foot and one ormore of such movable sections embodies means for establishing andmeasuring a corrective contour for the corresponding portion or portionsof the foot. y

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved deviceof this character, having novel means by which the movable sections ofthe foot rest can be readily shifted the proper amount and novel meansby which the resilient bodies of the respective sections can be readilydeformed by controlled amounts or increments for establishing thecorrective contour.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved device ofthis kind in which an elastic covering extending over and confining thedeformable resilient body gives the foot rest a smooth surface and isadapted to be distended by the deformation of the resilient body.

The invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andparticularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings Fig; 1 is a perspective view of afoot measuring device constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe device.

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan View of the device.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line lI--4 of Fig. 1 andshowing the means for shifting one of the movable sections of the foot irest.

to the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the improvedfoot measuring device is illustrated. As shown in the drawings thedevice comprises, in general, an elongated base Ii) and a foot rest I Isupported by the base and extending longitudinally thereof. The footrest ii is kof a sectional construction and may embody any desirednumber of parts or sections, but in this instance, comprises threesections which include a'heel section I2, an intermediate or instepsection I3 and a front or toe section I4. One or more of the sections ofthe foot rest, in this case the two sections I3 and I4, are movablelongitudinally of the base as is further explained hereinafter.

The base I0 comprises an elongated slab or body I Ela having asubstantially flat bottom upon which the device may rest or stand, and apair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending side rails I5 and I 6.The side rails I5 and I 6 are attached to the body I0a of the base andextend thereabove so as to dene a longitudinally extending opening orguide-way II along which the movable sections I3 and I 4 of the footrest can be shifted. The side rails I5 and I6 include relativelynarrower spacing strips I5a and I6a so that the guide-way I'I will haveundercut grooves or lateral extensions Ila towhich further referencewill be made hereinafter.

The heel section I2 of the sectional foot rest I I is a stationarysection which is secured in the guide-way I'I and forms a support forthe heel of a human foot when the latter is placed on the foot rest. Theheel section I2 may be constructed from a block of Wood, a body ofmolded plastic material or from any other suitable substance and isprovided with an appropriately dished or contoured upper surface whichwill conform generally to the shape and contour of the underside of theheel of the foot for comfortably supporting the same. An upstandingstationary abutment member I9 is provided immediately at the rear of theheel support I2 and is adapted to be engaged by theback of the heel forproperly locating the foot on the foot rest II. This abutment isprovided with a concave heel engaging surface or portion I9a which is ofa size and shape to comfortably and accurately engage the back of theheel when the foot is placed on the foot rest. The abutment I9 can beconstructed of Wood or other suitable material and is suitably securedin the guide-way I'I of the base I0. The heel section l2 and theabutment I9 can be covered with a layer of leather'or suitable finishingmaterial.

The movable sections I3 and I4 of the foot rest II each comprise a bodyportion 2| and a top or table portion 22. The body 2| comprises a blockformed of wood or other appropriate material which is slidablelongitudinally in the guideway Il and is provided With lateralextensions or anges 23 which are operable in the undercut grooves Ilafor retaining the sections in the guide-way. The top or table portion 22comprises a plate or contour member 24 and a covering of elastic sheetmaterial 25 extending thereover. The member 24 may comprise a sheet orslab of leather, or other appropriate material, whose upper surface isshaped to conform generally to the contour of the underside of the foot.In the case of the intermediate or instep section I3, which engages andconformswith the transverse arch or instep portion of the foot, the topor table portion 22 has a surface which slopes or tapers transversely ofthe foot rest I I and is convexly curved longitudinally of the footrest. In the case of the front or toe section I4 which receives andsupports the forward portion of the foot including the longitudinal archthereof, the top or table portion 22 has a surface of varying curvatureincluding both concave and convex portions and corresponding generallywith the contoiu` and shape of the underside of the portion of the footextending forwardly of the instep.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings, the plate member 24 isconnected with the body por- Icion 2| by suitable fastening members,such as the nails 26 extending therethrough, and extends laterallybeyond the edges of the guide-Way I'I into overlying relation to theside rails I and I6. The elastic covering 25 extends over and around theedges of the plate member 24 so that the edges of the covering materialwill be concealed and so that the covering material will provide the topof the foot rest with a smooth foot-engaging surface as well as a neatand attractive appearance. The covering 25 can be formed of a softstretchable leather, a soft sheet rubber or any other appropriateelastic sheet material. This covering material can be cemented orotherwise suitably attached to the plate member 24 on which it alsoforms a smooth and attractive finish.

An important feature of the present invention is that one or more of thesections of the foot rest II are provided with a non-metallic resilientdeformable body which forms a part of the foot-engaging top or plate 22of these sections and Iwhich can be deformed or distorted for thepurpose of establishing and determining a corrective contour forcorresponding portions of the foot which is placed on the foot rest. Inthe drawings I show the intermediate section I3 of the foot restprovided with such a deformable body 28 and I also show the section I4provided with a similar deformable body 29. These deformable bodies 28and 29 are preferably in the form of oval or elliptical pads recessedinto the tops or plate members 22 of these sections and may beconstructed of soft rubber or any other suitable material which is soft,resilient and pliable. In the section l3 the resilient body or pad 28 isof a size and shape and is located such that it can be used formeasuring or determining the location, shape and thickness of acorrective pad or support for the transverse arch of the foot. Theresilient body or pad 29 embodied in the section I4 is of a size andshape and is located on this section such that it can be used fordetermining the location, shape and thickness of a corrective p ad orarch support for the longitudinal arch of the foot. The corrective pador support corresponding with the deformable body 29 of the section I4is sometimes referred to as a metatarsal pad.

The plate members 24 of the sections I3 and I4 are provided,respectively, with recesses or openings 3I (see Figs. 5 and 6) in whichthe deformable bodies 28 and 29 are located. These openings may be of asomewhat oval or elliptical shape corresponding with the shape of thedeformable bodies 28 and 29 and preferably have beveled or slopingedges. The deformable bodies have a rounded top or contour with amaximum thickness at or adjacent their center and taper in thickness toa relatively thin sharp edge 32 extending around their periphery. Thebodies 29 and 29 are retained in the recesses 3| by the elastic covering25 extending thereover, although if desired, an intermediate elasticlayer 33 or covering may be used to assist the covering 25 in conningthese deformable bodies. The intermediate elastic layer 33 may be asheet of soft rubber or other suitable elastic material. Although Figs.5 and 6 show only the body 29, it will be understood, of course, thatthe deformable body 28 is mounted and retained in a corresponding recessor opening of the section I3.

In making use of the deformable bodies 28 and 29 of the sections I3 andI4 of the foot support, I provide each of these vsections with means bywhich such deformable body can be distorted or deformed so as to defineor establish a corrective contour for the corresponding portion of thefoot. Since this deforming means is of a similar or identicalconstruction for both of the sections I3 and I4 it will be described indetail only in connection with the deformable body 29. As shown in thedrawing, this deforming means includes a plunger 35 which is slidable inan upright guide tube 36 and has its upper end located adjacent to or inengagement with the deformable body 29. If desired, the body 29 can beattached to the upper end of the plunger 35 as by means of a headedfastening member 91 extending through such body.

The guide tube 3B is carried by the section I4 and is mounted in asuitable opening provided in the body portion 2| of this member. Thebase IIl of the device is provided with a longitudinally extendingclearance recess or slot 38 which accommodates the portion of the guidetube which extends in depending relation below the body portion 2|. Theplunger 35 is provided with a rack 39 with which a pinion 40 cooperates.The pinion 4D is carried by a transverse shaft 4| supported in laterallyaligned bearings 42 and 43 which are mounted in suitable openings of thebody portion 2| and extend laterally outwardly into clearance slots 44and 45 of the side rails I5 and I6. The bearings 42 and 43 are'preferably of a square or non-circular cross-section which, in the caseof the bearing 43, accomplishes an additional function as will beexplained hereinafter. The bearings 42 and 43 are carried by the body 2|and are slidable in the slots 44 and 45 during movement of the sectionI4 longitudinally in the guide-way I1 of the base I'IJ.

The pinion shaft 4| is provided at one end thereof with a shoulderedretaining nut or cap 41 and at its other end with an actuating knob 48which is connected therewith by means of a transverse pin 49. When theknob 48 is rotated to drive the shaft 4| in a direction to cause thepinion 49 to lift the rack 39, the plunger 35 is pushed upwardly againstthe underside of the deformable body29 causing the latter to be deformedor distorted upwardly to a bowed condition in which it causes theelastic coverings 25 and 33 to be stretched and distended. The confiningeffect of the elastic coverings 25 and 33 assists the plunger 35 indeforming the resilient body 29 to such an upwardly bowed condition andpermits this to be carried out in a manner such that, although thecontour of the foot-receiving surface of the section I4 is altered, theconvex contour or curvature of the altered portion will still mergesmoothly with the surrounding portions of the top or plate portion ofthe section without producingV wrinkles or irregularities which would beuncomfortable to the foot.

' The elastic coverings 25 provided on the movable sections I3 and I4are cemented thereto as mentioned above and, as shown in the drawings,have their outer perimeters anchored continuously therealong on theplate members 24 by having their edge portions extending around andunder the edges of these plate members. The portions of the coverings 25which overlie the deformable pads 28 and 29 are not anchored to theplate members 24 and hence are capable of being distended and stretchedupwardly by these pads, as just explained above. Since the coverings 25are anchored continuously along their perimeters, the' portions whichoverlie the pads 28 and 29 will be stretched upwardly by the latter to adistended shape, which is bowed both transversely and longitudinally ofthe device.

The deformable body 29 is deformed or distorted by the means justdescribed to an extent necessary to produce a corrective contour on thefoot rest II as may be needed by the particular foot being analyzed.This is determined by a skilled operatorl or diagnostician who uses thedevice and actuates the knob 48. To permit this deforming of the body 29to be carried out gradually and by small increments in a step by stepmanner which will permit repeated checking with the patron or patientwhose foot is being analyzed, I provide a ratchet means for the knob 48.

This ratchet means comprises an annular series of teeth I and a beveledlug 52 carried by the knob 48 and cooperating with such ratchet teeth.The teeth 5I are carried by a disc-like head or enlargement 53 providedon the outer end of the bearing 43 and which is held against rotation bythe non-circular cross-sectional shape of the bearing. A compressionspring 54 located in a recess of the knob 43 and disposed around theouter end of the pinion shaft 4I urges the knob axially of the shaft ina direction to cause engagement of the lug 52 with the ratchet teeth5I'.

When the knob 48 is rotated in a direction to lift the plunger 35 asabove explained, the lug 52 rides over the ratchet teeth 5I insuccession and as the lug passes over each successive tooth it holds orlocks the deforming means so as to retain the body 29 in the deformedcondition corresponding with the extent of angular movement throughwhich the knob has been rotated. When the deformation of the resilientbody 29 is to be decreased or when this body is to be restored to itsinitial or released condition, the knob 48 is withdrawn axially of thepinion shaft 4I against the action of the spring 54 to thereby disengagethe lug 52 from the ratchet teeth 5I and permit reverse rotation of theknob.

To enable the operator of the device to know to what extent theresilient body 29 has been deformed and to make a record of suchdeformation, I provide indicating means adjacent the knob 48 comprisinga pointer 55 carried by the knob and a stationary dial 56 supported bythe noncircular bearing 43 and carrying suitable indications orgraduations 55a.

As mentioned above, the sections I3 and I4 of the foot rest II areshiftable longitudinally along the guide-way I'I of the base Il] andrelative to the heel support I2. Such movement of the sections I 3 andi4 permits them to be adjusted to suit the length or size of the footbeing analyzed. By adjusting the intermediate section I3 in this mannerit can be properly located with respect to the instep or transverse archof the foot so that the corrective contour can be established by meansof the deformable body 28 in the manner above explained. Likewise, theadjustment for the movable section I4 permits this section to beadjusted to a position which will locate the deformable body 29 inproper relation to the longitudinal arch of the foot so that thisdeformable body can be used in establishing and determining a correctivecontour for a metatarsal pad or other arch support in the manner aboveexplained.

The adjustment of the movable sections I3 and E4 to the proper'positionscan be facilitated by the use of scales provided on the side rails I5and I6 and pointers 59 provided on the movable sections. These scalesand pointers also permit a record to be made by the operator of theproper adjustments of the movable sections when such adjustments havebeen determined for a foot which is being analyzed.

For shifting the movable sections I3 and I4 of the foot rest II alongthe guide-Way I'l of the base Il! for the purpose just explained above,I provide the body v2| of each section with a rack 55 with which apinion 6I cooperates. The pinion 6I is carried by a pinion shaft 62which is mounted in suitable bearings 53 and 54 supported by the bodyIlla, of the base Iil. An actuating knob 55 is connected with the pinionshaft 52 as by means of the pin 55 so that rotation of the knob for oneor the other of the movable sections I3 and I4 A will cause such sectionto be shifted along the guide-way in a direction corresponding with thedirection of rotation of the knob.

Another feature embodied in this improved foot measuring device is theprovision of contoured shapes at the adjacent ends of the sections I2,I3 and I4 of the foot rest I I as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and whichpermit these sections to have an intertting engagement when they areadjusted to a close or abutting relation, as for example for arelatively short foot. These contoured shapes include a forwardlyextending conveXly curved projection 61 on the forward end of the fixedsection I2 and a corresponding concavely curved mating recess 68 in therear end of the intermediate section I 3. Similarly, the rear end of thesection I4 has a rearwardly extending convexly curved projection 69thereon and the forward end of the intermediate section I3 has acorresponding concavely curved mating recess 'I0 therein. As shown inFig. 3, the deformable pad 29 may be located on the section I4 so thatit extends part-way into or over the curved projection 69 of thissection.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will now bereadily seen that the present invention provides an im'proved measuringdevice by which a corrective contour can be readily established ordetermined for a foot being analyzed. It will be seen also that the useof movable sections in the foot rest permits the devic'ei to bev used.with feet of different length, and the use of deformable resilientbodies in the movable sections permits the contour thereof to be readilyaltered in determining the requirements of the foot being analyzedwithout producing abrupt or irregular changes in the foot rest. It willbe seen moreover that the measuring or analyzing operation can becarried out entirely by the manipulation of the device and does notrequire the actuation of any movable parts on the part of the patron orpatient. It will be understood also that with the data obtained from theindicating scales of the device, properly tting pads, arch supports, orshoes can be constructed.

While I have illustrated and described my foot measuring device inconsiderable detail it will be understood, of course, that I do not wishto be correspondingly limited but regard my invention including allchanges and modifications coming within the spirit of the invention andthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a foot measuring device, an elongated base having thereon alongitudinal guide-way and a heel abutment, a foot rest extending awayfrom said abutment in the direction of said guide-way and including astationary heel section and a pair of toe and instep sections which aremovable along said guide-way, said toe section having foot means thereonincluding a deformable pad on the upper side thereof and an elasticsheet covering extending over said pad and anchored continuously aroundits outer perimeter on said toe section, elevating means operable tolift said pad for stretching said sheet covering upwardly to a convexshape which is bowed both longitudinally and transversely of said footrest, said instep section having foot engaging means thereon including adeformable pad on the upper side thereof and an elastic sheet coveringextending over said pad and anchored continuously around its outerperimeter on said instep section, elevating means operable to lift thepad of said instep section for stretching the sheet covering thereofupwardly to a convex shape which is bowed both longitudinally andtransversely of said foot rest, and means operable to shift said toe andinstep sections along said guide-way, the adjacent ends of said sectionshaving contoured projections and e recesses thereon adapted for matingengagement.

2; In a foot measuring device, an elongated base having thereon alongitudinal guide-Way and a heel abutment', a foot rest extending awayfrom p said abutment in the direction of said guide-way and including astationary heel section and a pair of toe and instep sections which aremovable along said guide-way, said toe section having foot engagingmeans thereon including a deformable pad on the upper side thereof andan elastic sheet covering extending over said pad and anchoredcontinuously around its outer perimeter on said toe section, elevatingmeans operable to lift said pad for stretching said sheet coveringupwardly to a convex shape which is bowed both longitudinally andtransversely of said foot rest, said instep section having foot engagingmeans thereon including a deformable pad on the upper side thereof andan elastic sheet covering extending over said pad and anchoredcontinuously around its outer perimeter on said instep section,elevating means operable to lift the pad of said instep section forstretching the sheet covering thereof upwardly to a convex shape whichis bowed both longitudinally and transversely of said foot rest, meansoperable to shift said toe and instep sections along said guide-Way, theadjacent ends of said sections having contoured projections and recessesthereon adapted for mating engagement, and ratchet means embodied in theelevating means of said toe and instep sections by which the lifting ofthe deformable pads thereof is accomplished in step-by-step increments.

JOSEPH MIRTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenloes are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 290,652 Sturm'er Dec. 18, 1883404,994 Stimpson June 11, 1880 534,099 English Feb. 12, 1395 1,010,451OSullivan Dec. 5, 1911 1,585,458 Barth May 18, 1926 1,682,579 OliverAug. 23, 1928 1,689,040 Marron Oct. 23, 1928 2,216,533 Kaplan Oct. l,1940

